


Promise Kept, A

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, First Time, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-07-03
Updated: 2000-07-03
Packaged: 2019-05-15 23:24:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14799947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Josh is put into jail because of traffic violations.





	1. Promise Kept, A

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

A Promise Kept - A Josh and Donna Story By Jenny

Disclaimer: All characters of The West Wing belong to Aaron Sorkin, NBC, Warner Bros., etc, not me. I just like writing about them. :)

Notes: This is a response to the Josh & Donna challenge about either Josh or Donna or both ending up in jail. I don't know a whole lot about Washington DC, the police departments, or being arrested or being in jail, having never been arrested or in jail or in DC before, so any discrepancies are because of little knowledge on my part. I was planning on this being a short story, but you know what? I decided to split it up. :) So this is just 2 or 3 chapters... I really hope you like this story, since it is my first West Wing Fan Fiction. :)

A Promise Kept - Chapter 1

Donna sighed as she entered the DCPD. She walked over to the window, and as she waited for someone, she remembered the phone call she had received just half an hour ago.

*****

"Joshua Lyman's office, Donna speaking," Donna professionally answered the phone. She was just leaving to go to lunch with a friend.

"Donna, I'm so glad I caught you, I need your help."

She recognized the anxious and hurried voice of her boss on the line. "What could you possible need from me just as I'm going out to lunch?"

"I need you to, um, come pick me up."

Donna was curious. "Why? Where are you?"

"I'm at, um, 560 Colorado St," Josh replied, sounding sheepish.

Donna thought for a moment. "The police station?" She could almost see Josh meekly nodding his head. "What are you doing there?"

"Calling you."

"Jo-oo-osh..." she said, exasperatingly.

"Alright, I might've ran a red light."

"They put you in jail just for that?

"No, they put me in jail because in addition to that, I had invalid tags on my license plate and three outstanding speeding tickets," Josh told her hurriedly.

Donna sighed and rolled her eyes. So much for a lunch break. "How much?" she asked, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

"$375."

"JOSHUA!!!"

"I'll pay you back," Josh promised, "just come and get me." After a moment, he added, "Please?"

"Fine," said Donna, "but you owe me big time for this one, Josh."

*****

"Excuse me, miss, can I help you?" A police officer was waiting to help Donna.

The young woman shook out of her reverie. "Yes, I'm here to bail out Joshua Lyman. He telephoned me about half an hour ago." It had taken Donna 15 minutes longer to get there than it normally would've, but considering it was lunch time and she had gotten a ride from a friend, she wasn't too upset. Besides, the longer Josh had to wait for her, the more grateful he'd be to her.

"And you are?"

"His assistant, Donna Moss."

"Please fill these out, Ms. Moss." The officer handed her a clipboard and a pen.

After Donna completed the forms and paid Josh's bail, she followed another officer to the temporary holding cell where Josh was being kept.

Josh looked up when he heard the hallway door open. He jumped up and rushed over to the bars when he saw Donna coming. He was grateful to see her, but the look on Donna's face told him that she didn't feel the same way.

"Donna! Thank goodness you're here," Josh said as the officer unlocked the cell. "I owe you for this, Donna."

"Yeah," Donna said pointedly, "you owe me a lot more than lunch, $375, and $2 worth of gas. You also owe my friend Wendy lunch, since she's the one who brought me all the way out here on *her* lunch hour."

"Don't worry, I promise I'll make it up to you - to both of you."

Meanwhile, a couple of the other guys in the holding cell were softly whistling and saying, "Hey," and "Hi there," to Donna.

"Hey," Josh said, rolling his eyes at them. "Back off."

The men raised their eyebrows, but abided by Josh's request. One of the men said, "Sorry, man, didn't know she was taken." He grinned and winked at Josh.

"It's not that," Josh said, glaring at him, "it's just... shut up!" The guys were chuckling at him. Josh was tired, but you could see him blushing a little. He had already been there for over half an hour - half an hour longer than he ever wanted to be there - and didn't want to stay any longer.

Donna, who had just smiled and been good natured about the whole conversation, changed the subject. "Let's go, Josh."

Josh collected his personal belongings. As they walked out the building and down the back stairs to the garage to Josh's car (Donna had pulled some strings and was able to keep his car from being held for the typical 24 hours), he said, "Well you handled that well."

"Handled what well?" asked Donna, not really caring.

"Those guys back there," Josh said, nodding his head in the way they had just came and unlocking the doors.

"I'm used to it," Donna told him, semi-kidding and not wanting the conversation to go any farther. "Let's get in the car," she said as she climbed in.

Donna got in right away and closed the door. Josh, having gotten a peculiar look on his face after Donna said she was used to it, was a little slower.

Josh got in the car, shut his door, and put on his seatbelt. "So," he asked, trying to be cheerful, "where am I taking you to lunch?"

"The White House," Donna responded dejectedly. "You have a Senior Staff meeting in less than 40 minutes, and believe me, in this traffic, it'll take us that long to get back."

"Not the way I drive," Josh said, grinning at her.

Donna stared coldly at him. "Joshua, if you even *think* of - "

"Hey," Josh said, laughing quietly at her. "Don't worry, I was only kidding."

"It wasn't very funny," Donna said evenly.

Josh saw that she was not amused by his humor and stopped smiling. "Sorry," he said. "To the White House it is then."

As Josh put his keys into the ignition and started the car, he looked over at his assistant. Donna had turned away from him and was looking forlornly out the passenger side window. Her head rested in the palm of her right hand, her elbow was propped up on the window sill, and her blonde hair fell neatly around her shoulders.

"Hey." Josh reached over and put his hand on Donna's knee, causing her to turn her head and look at him. "I really am sorry for ruining your lunch, Donna. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Sure Josh," Donna replied, turning back to the window.

"I will, I swear, believe me."

"I believe you, Josh."

But Josh knew she didn't mean that, and he knew she had a right not to believe him. He'd taken away her lunches, evenings, and weekends often enough, but he really would make it up to her this time. Since he couldn't think of anything to say to convince her, he sighed inwardly, and they rode back to the White House in silence.

\----------

As Josh and Donna entered the building, Donna walking slightly ahead of Josh, they met up with Sam, who was on his way to the Senior Staff meeting.

"Hi Donna, hey Josh. Where've you been?" Sam asked, skeptical at the sight of them walking in together. He had always thought there was something between them, but didn't know for sure.

"I was... uh..." Josh tried to stall for time.

"He was unavoidably detained," Donna answered for him as she walked past Sam.

"Yeah, I was unavoidably detained," Josh echoed. "Can you excuse me for a moment, Sam? Thanks. I'll see you in Senior Staff in a few minutes."

Josh hurried to catch up with Donna, leaving a perplexed Sam in the hallway. He met up with her at her desk, reviewing the messages.

"Go home," he said.

"Excuse me?" asked Donna, somewhat offended.

"Take the rest of the day off."

Donna looked at Josh like he had just turned into a purple alien with a pink nose and three green eyeballs sticking out of the top of his head. "You're giving me the afternoon off? Are you okay, Josh?"

Josh grinned at her reaction. "Well, I'm better than I was in jail, and I'll be even better if you come - hungry - to my apartment around 7:30 tonight."

Donna raised her eyebrows at this. "Are you inviting me over for dinner, Josh?"

Josh smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Donna thought about it, but not for long. An afternoon off, and a free dinner \- with Josh? Who could say no? She smiled as she replied, "Okay. I'll be there."

"Okay, great." Josh smiled back at her, then headed for his meeting.

"I'll get Ginger to take my place this afternoon," Donna called to Josh's back.

"Thanks!" Josh waved his arm, acknowledging her but not turning around. "See ya later!"

Donna smile grew wider. A free afternoon, dinner with Josh... maybe he'd keep his promise after all.


	2. Promise Kept, A 2

A Promise Kept - Chapter 2

  
The rest of the day went by quickly for Josh, who was rushed to get things accomplished since his schedule had been thrown slightly off track by him being in jail. But at 6 o'clock, he stopped working. He needed the hour and a half to get ready for his dinner with Donna. He had already wasted enough of her time with his little problems, and he didn't want to make her wait for dinner tonight.

Before leaving, Josh stopped by Toby's office.

"Hey," he said, leaning in from the hallway, "I'm going home. I'll see ya tomorrow."

"WHAT?!" Toby exclaimed. He stood up from his desk and walked over the door where Josh was still standing. "Josh, it's 6 o'clock! What are doing going home so early?"

"You know Toby, in most other jobs in the wonderful free nation of ours, staying until 6 means getting an hour's worth of overtime pay."

"This is the White House for heaven's sake, Josh!"

"No, really Toby? I thought we've been working for McDonald's for the past year," Josh retorted sarcastically. Before Toby could reply, Josh continued. "Look, Toby, I've got an extremely important personal thing tonight that there is *no way* I'm bailing on. Almost everything I had to do today is done. I briefed Sam on a few things and I even talked to Leo about this, Toby, and he said I could go. I have everything under control."

Toby rubbed his forehead. Josh did seem to have everything under control, and even so, Toby didn't really have a right to be upset with him. He was just upset because Josh was going home while he had to stay and finish up the President's speech for the Committee to Save the Whales tomorrow. Besides, Toby didn't feel like arguing. "Fine, Josh, I'll see you tomorrow." Toby turned and headed back to his desk.

Josh handed him a folder with a bundle of papers inside. "Here," he said. "There's some information inside on that gun control thing that's coming up that you might find helpful."

"Thanks," Toby said quietly as he took the folder from Josh and sat down again.

"You're welcome." Josh then turned around and left. "Night!" he called over his shoulder as he disappeared down the hall.

\-----

Josh weeded his way through rush hour traffic, which wasn't really that bad, as quickly - and safely - as possible. He certainly didn't want to get caught by the police *again*. Luckily his apartment wasn't very far away.

He stopped at a small grocery store near his apartment before going home. He felt a little strange actually going down the isles and putting things into a basket. He usually just breezed through, picking up the few essential items like milk, coffee, soap, frozen meals, and the occasional fruit or vegetable, and carrying them to the Quick Check lane.

After Josh was fairly certain he had everything he'd need, he made a trip down one last isle - the isle with the florist at the end of it. There he picked up a bouquet of some of Donna's favorite wildflowers - daisies, sunflowers, violets, and morning glories.

Josh was impatiently waiting at the checkout stand while the man rang up his items. "Big date tonight, huh?" he asked Josh, nodding towards the food and flowers.

"Huh?" Josh said distractedly. "Oh, no, it's not... she's just - " he was about to say "my assistant" when Josh realized that it wasn't true. Donna had always been a friend to Josh, helping him out and being there for him more than just an assistant would be, more so lately and especially today. "She's a friend," Josh finally answered.

The cashier raised his eyebrows upon hearing Josh's response. He had seen the young man's face as he was thinking about his reply, and had a feeling his feelings for the lady ran deeper than friendship, but it wasn't his place to say anything. So he just smiled, shrugged, and said, "Okay, buddy."

Josh didn't comment, just thanked and paid him and rushed out to his car.

As soon as Josh got home a few minutes later, he put the flowers into a vase and started to prepare one of Donna's favorite meals. He smiled as he thought of how much she would like it.

\-----

The subject of Josh's thoughts was, at that very moment, thinking of him as well. Well, to be more precise, she was thinking of what to wear that night. Donna was standing at the door to her closet, staring into it critically, the fingertips of her left hand in her mouth, her right hand on her hip.

Her roommate Wendy entered her room then, and nearly laughed out loud at the scene. Trying to control her laughter, Wendy said, "Donna, I thought you said this wasn't a date."

"It's not!" Donna replied, not wavering from the task at hand.

"Then why have you been standing in the same position for the past 10 minutes inspecting your wardrobe?"

"Because..." Donna trailed off.

"Because you're in love with Josh, that's why."

"What?!" Donna turned away from her closet to face her friend, who had plopped herself down on Donna's bed. "I am not in love with Josh." Wendy just looked at Donna. "I'm *not*!" Donna insisted.

Wendy smiled and said, "You just keep telling yourself that, dear. In the mean time, let's find something for you to wear to this 'non-date' dinner before you're late."

Wendy got off the bed and walked over to her roommate's closet, while Donna just stood there for a moment, a confused look on her face. "Where would Wendy get the idea that I'm in love with Josh?" she thought. "I may have had feelings for him at one point, but... no, not anymore. I like Josh just as a friend now."

Donna shook her head and walked back over to her closet, trying to ignore the little seed that Wendy had planted in her mind. But it wouldn't go away, and was still there when she knocked on Josh's door promptly 45 minutes later.

\-----  



	3. Promise Kept, A 3

Okay, here it is - the end of my first story... :( I too didn't really like the way the end of this one came out, but it was the only thing working in my mind, so... :) Anyway I really hope you like it!! Thanks to Amanda for her vocabulary assistance and DC expertise!! Much appreciated!! :)

This entire story and many more are located at my archive - <http://www.lightstreampubs.com/tww/fanfic/>. (Had to throw that in there.) :) Enjoy!!

~Jenny~

\-----

When Josh heard the knock on his door, he quickly looked at the clock on his microwave. 7:30 sharp. "How did it get to be 7:30 already?" he asked himself. Josh nervously looked around the kitchen and dining room, making sure everything was as set as it could be. He gave his outfit another once-over - he hadn't wanted to offend Donna by being totally casual in his worn out jeans and a t-shirt, but he didn't want to be too fancy. After all, as he'd told himself as he was getting ready, "This is no big deal, it's just Donna coming over for a friendly dinner." So he had chosen to wear a pair of slacks and a polo shirt.

Josh went and opened the door, revealing a very beautiful Donna - although he wouldn't admit that to himself. She too had gone for the in-between-casual-and-formal look, wearing nice blue pants with a matching vest over a light blouse. Her blonde hair was clipped behind her ears with barrettes.

"Hey Donna," Josh said, smiling at her and opening the door to let her in.

"Hi Josh." Donna returned the smile as she walked further into his apartment and set her purse down on a small nearby table. She then turned to Josh, not knowing what to do next.

Josh, who had shut the door, said to her, "You look nice."

Donna blushed a little hearing the compliment. "Thanks," she replied quietly. "So do you." She wasn't used to Josh complimenting her outfits - he rarely did so on her fancy business suits, let alone casual clothes. "So," she said brightly, trying to get past her awkwardness, "what's for dinner?"

Josh smiled and his eyes lit up as he said, "Come on, I'll show you," and led Donna to his small dining room. There sat a table nicely set for two, with the bouquet of flowers in the middle where it would be admired yet not in the way. Josh had decided against candles - "Too romantic," he'd told himself, "and this is *not* a romantic dinner," - but he'd made sure to at least find matching place settings. It wasn't his finest china, but it certainly beat the cheap plastic plates he usually used.

The meal that awaited them looked delicious. A bowl filled with a crisp and fresh Caesar salad sat near the middle, with a basket of steaming garlicky breadsticks near it. On each of Josh and Donna's plates was a huge heap of fettuccini with bits of tender chicken it, smothered in a creamy alfredo sauce. The napkins were neatly folded, and a bottle of white wine rested, waiting to be poured.

Donna gasped quietly when she saw the scene before her. "Oh wow, Josh," she said. "Chicken fettuccini, Caesar salad, breadsticks... did you really make all of this?" she asked, turning to him.

"Yeah," he told her.

Donna looked again at the table, then back at Josh, a somewhat doubtful look in her eyes. They stood like that for a few moments, until Josh could no longer take her scrutiny.

"Okay, okay," he admitted, sighing. "I didn't make it. I ordered it from your favorite Italian restaurant, Al Fresco's."

"I didn't think you did," Donna said, smiling and turning away from him. But it was too late - Josh had seen the look of disappointment in her eyes, and had heard the hint of sadness in her voice.

"But Donna," he insisted, turning her towards him, "I tried to make it, really I did. Here, come and look at my kitchen, see for yourself." Josh took hold of Donna's arm and led her around the corner to the kitchen.

As they stood in doorway to Josh's small kitchen, Donna smiled and put her hand to her mouth, trying to supress her laughter. However, she was unsuccessful, and burst into giggles. The sight before her was just too hilarious not to laugh at.

The sink sat overflowing with bubbles, soaking just a few of the many dirty dishes. It looked as though someone had made an unsuccessful attempt at stacking the pots and their lids neatly, but it still came off as a clutter. Plates were piled with dirty utensils on top of them. The packages of ingredients adorned the countertop, as did some pieces of chopped vegetables. A plate of burnt breadsticks sat on the stovetop, next to a pan of what looked like very thick alfredo sauce.

Donna was still laughing when Josh asked, "What's so funny?" which, of course, made her go into another fit of giggles.

When she finally calmed down, Donna apologized. "I'm sorry, Josh, I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to make fun of your cooking skills - or lack thereof," she corrected herself, giggling again, "it's just... well, it's funny."

Donna smiled, but became serious when she saw Josh's face. "I'm sorry, Josh. I really do appreciate your efforts. It touches me, seeing how much trouble you went to for me."

"Really?" Josh asked hopefully.

"Really," she answered truthfully. "Thank you." Donna reached over and kissed his cheek.

They stood looking into each others eyes for a moment. Then Josh turned and looked at his kitchen. "I guess it is kinda funny," he commented, chuckling at himself. Donna smiled in agreement with him.

Josh smiled back at her. "Come on," he said, taking her hand. "We better eat before more even more food goes to waste."

\-----

Josh and Donna had a very pleasant meal together. They talked comfortably about almost everything. They talked about the President's upcoming agenda, and trips that they would be going on with him. They talked about the lives of their friends and coworkers - CJ and Danny, Charlie and Zoe, Sam and Mallory, Toby and... well, nobody. They talked about Mrs. Landingham and her cookie jar, and how Donna always seemed to get a cookie but not Josh. They talked about new movies, and how neither of them seemed to have time to see any of them. And despite their differences, they even had a nice, short, friendly conversation about religion. One topic they stayed clear of was family. Donna knew about Josh's father's death the night of the Illinois primary. She also suspected there was something deeper inside of him, something else about his family that he didn't talk to anyone about, but she didn't bring it up - they were having a nice dinner, and Donna didn't want it to become sad.

Even after they had finished eating, Josh and Donna continued to talk. When they didn't have something to say, that sat in comfortable silence. Eventually, Donna sighed and turned the subject to cleaning up. "Well, Josh, we better get to doing the dishes. With that pile already in the kitchen plus these, it'll keep us busy until the staff meeting tomorrow morning."

"Ha ha," Josh said sarcastically. "I'll have you know that I *do* know how to wash dishes."

"Oh yeah?" Donna retorted, playfully. "What kind of soap do you use?"

Josh was silent. Before Donna could make fun of him, though, he said, "You know, Donna, there's this little thing that's called a dishwasher..."

Donna scoffed at him. "A dishwasher is *not* going to completely clean the mess *you* made. Come on, let's go," she said picking up her plate and heading into the kitchen.

"'Come on, let's go'," Josh mimicked playfully in a low voice.

Donna stopped and turned around to face him. "What did you say?" she asked, accusingly.

"I... uh... I didn't say anything," Josh said as he stood up. "Are you hearing voices in your head again, Donnatella?" Josh smiled innocently as he walked past her and took her plate out of her hands, taking both of theirs into the kitchen.

She stood there speechless for a moment. When Josh came back in to get more of the dishes, Donna narrowed her eyes at him, but you could see her hiding a smile.

She and Josh worked well together cleaning up the his kitchen. Donna stood at the sink, soaking and scrubbing the dishes and then putting those that would fit in the dishwasher. The pots and pans she handed to Josh to find a place for. Josh also cleaned up the countertops, took out the trash, and put the leftover food in the refrigerator.

As Donna was washing the last plate, she looked out the window. "Oh wow Josh," she said. "You have a beautiful view!"

Josh watched as Donna stood at the sink, craning her neck trying to see the city sites below. He smiled and laughed gently at her. "There's a sliding glass door to my balcony in the living room. Why don't you go on out? I'll finish up in here and join you in a bit."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah," he assured. "Go on, I'll be there in a sec."

"Okay." Donna smiled at him, placed the last plate in the dishwasher, and went outside. Josh finished wiping the counter, then he took something out of the freezer and washed his hands before turning out the kitchen light and heading out to join her.

Josh turned out the lights in the living room before he went outside. He noticed that Donna had turned on the porch light, so as he went out, he turned it off. That startled her a little, causing her to turn around. He smiled reassuringly at her. "You can see better with the lights off," he told her.

"Yeah," Donna agreed, "you can. It's so beautiful out here, Josh."

Josh agreed, but not just because of the view of the city. Donna was casually leaning on the railing, her elbows propped up on the top bar. There was a light breeze, causing her hair to blow a little. He walked over and stood right next to her, placing his elbows on the bar as well, just barely touching hers.

They stood quietly for a few moments, breathing in the cool air, marveling at the city many floors below them. They couldn't see the White House from Josh's balcony, but they did have quite a view. The Washington Monument stood tall, shining brightly, with the Jefferson Memorial nearby. The Capitol Building's distinct dome was clearly visible on this starry night, and the lights of Rosslyn, Virginia peaked out from the west.

"Wow, Josh," Donna whispered, not wanting to ruin the quiet moment. "Considering that we're in a big city, you can see so many stars out here, as well as the beautiful monuments in the background. You have a gorgeous view."

"Yeah, I know. It's a shame I don't come out to see it more often," Josh said sadly.

"You don't?" Donna asked.

"Nah," he replied. "By the time I get home, it's usually so late that I couldn't care less about looking at the city. I spend some of my days running all around it anyway."

"That's true," Donna admitted. "But still... if I had a view like this, I'd sit out here in the evenings and at night all the time, just to relax." Donna's eyes were shining as she thought about relaxing on a balcony with a beautiful view in front of her.

Josh smiled at Donna's lit up face. Then he noticed her shiver a little and wrap her arms around herself. "Are you cold?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Donna said unconvincingly. She smiled, trying to assure Josh she wasn't that cold, but he wasn't fooled. He walked back inside and grabbed two coats from his hallway closet. Josh had his on by the time he got back outside, and placed the other around Donna.

"Thanks," she said quietly, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink at Josh's kindness.

"You're welcome," he said, his voice equally as quiet. Donna wasn't shivering anymore, but Josh couldn't make himself move from his position behind Donna. He kept his hands on her shoulders and forearms, rubbing them gently.

Donna may not have been shivering on the outside, but she was shivering inside at Josh's touch. Donna closed her eyes and, not realizing it, leaned slowly backwards until she found herself wrapped in Josh's arms.

When Donna opened her eyes and realized where she was, she reluctantly pulled away. Josh, too, realized the intimacy of their situation and backed up a little, not looking Donna in the eyes.

"Josh," Donna said, hesitantly, "what... I mean... what happened to you today?"

"What do you mean?" asked Josh.

"You're... I don't know exactly, but you're different today than you were last week, or even yesterday. Don't get me wrong," Donna added in a hurry, smiling at Josh, "I really like the 'new you'... you're nicer, and sweeter to me now. I mean you gave me the day off, cooked - well okay sort of cooked - me my favorite meal... I love seeing this sweet side of you, Josh, but... what made it come out?"

Josh lifted his head up and looked into Donna's eyes. He saw many emotions on her face and in her eyes - curiosity, of wanting to know why he had changed; joy, at seeing the kinder part of him; a little bit of fear, not wanting his sweet side to go away. But Josh also saw something he'd never seen before. Maybe it had always been there, he had just refused to see it; he saw love. She wasn't letting all of it show right now, but Josh definitely saw it. And at that moment, Josh knew that the love in her eyes reflected in his own.

"You did," Josh said quietly. He moved closer to her and took her hands in his. "Donna, when you came and bailed me out of jail today, I was so grateful to you." Josh chuckled, remembering the events of the day. "I don't know what I would've done if I had to call someone else. I don't know anyone else who would do for me what you did, Donna. But then, during the ride back to the office, you didn't talk to me. I could see you were sad, and mad at me, and I couldn't stand you being upset with me. I missed you. I missed your playful teasing, and weird facts about other countries. You weren't the same person, and I know it was my fault. And I know you didn't believe me about me keeping my promise, either, and you had a complete right not to. I've been an idiot, Donna, and I'm sorry it took me so long to see that. You've always been more than just an assistant to me, you know that. You're one of my best friends." Josh took a deep breath before he continued. "But it's only now that I realize you've become more than just a friend to me. I've fallen in love with you, Donna."

Donna just stood there silently, listening to Josh as he opened up his heart. Even after he'd said the words, she wasn't entirely sure she'd heard them correctly. But she saw the look in his eyes, and knew that his feelings were real.

Josh took the opportunity of her being speechless to assure her of his love. He moved one hand under her chin, and slowly lowered his head towards hers. Then, gently, their lips met. It was a soft kiss, but one filled with lots of love, hope, and promises for the future.

After the kiss finally ended, they just stood there, looking into each others eyes. "I love you too, Josh," Donna finally said, breaking the silence.

Josh laughed gently at her. "I was wondering if you were going to say that." He kissed her again, this time with much more passion. His arms stayed on Donna's waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

When the kiss ended, Josh and Donna just stood, holding each other in a tight embrace. Donna still had her arms around Josh's neck, and Josh was resting his head on hers, stroking her long blonde hair with one hand while keeping his other arm protectively around her waste. They were so relieved they had finally found each other, they didn't want to let go.

Josh was the one who eventually spoke first. "You know, there is a desert inside sitting on the counter. Would you like to go have some?"

Donna pulled away and looked up at him. "You didn't try and make it, did you Josh?"

He laughed. "No, I entrusted desert to Sara Lee this time."

Donna smiled widely. "In that case, I would love some."

Josh and Donna walked back into his apartment, their fingers laced through each others, Donna's head leaning on Josh's shoulder. They had finally found happiness with each other.

***The End***

  



End file.
